The Bucks, under second apron restrictions this season, will have a lot more financial flexibility beginning next offseason, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Even with the contracts of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard still on the books, there’s a good chance Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis will decline their player options with the salary cap rising. Brook Lopez, who is making $23MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent.
“I’d like to say it’s by design,” Bucks co-owner and governor Wes Edens said. “We’ve worked pretty hard to be in the position we’re in. I think we have one of the most competitive teams. I think we have a very good chance to really contend and maybe win a championship (this season) and we have a real chance for continuity and continuance beyond this. That’s the goal.”
We have more on the Bucks:
- Antetokounmpo was outspoken after Sunday’s 13-point loss to the rebuilding Nets, saying the team is searching for an identity. “Right now, we don’t have an identity. Like, how are we going to win the game?” he said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “Are we going to defend for 48 minutes? Are we going to move the ball for 48 minutes? Are we going to attack and play fast for 48 minutes — or 36 minutes and slow down in the last 12? We gotta find an identity. We don’t have that right now.”
- Rajon Rondo is working with the club on a part-time basis under coach Doc Rivers, who explained Rondo’s status. “He’s got a son, it’s not that he didn’t want to be a coach,” Rivers told Brian Robb of Masslive.com. “He’s got a son that’s a really talented player and he’s working with him. We’re crafting out a schedule right now to try to give him enough time to be there and to be with us.”
- Their third consecutive loss, this time to the Celtics on Monday, was a reminder that swapping out Jrue Holiday for Lillard hasn’t worked out for Milwaukee, Robb notes. The Bucks led at halftime but were outscored by 11 in the third quarter and couldn’t mount a meaningful rally. “I don’t like moral victories, but I just thought that’s what we can be — at least for three quarters,” Rivers said, per Nehm. “I thought we kind of ran out of gas a little bit. Didn’t get a lot of help tonight from our bench, so we extended minutes.”
- The Wisconsin Herd, their NBA G League club, has announced its camp roster (Twitter link). James Akinjo, Terence Davis, Henry Ellenson and Justise Winslow are among the notable names with NBA experience on the list.
Teams that are supposed to be good make excuses after losing to inferior teams. It’s kinda stupid to expect fans to believe that you haven’t figured out how to play together, but a squad that’s considered rebuilding (aka: not very good) has, at least for this one game.